Time Saver

A guide to bed wetting: Bed wetting is an embarrassing problem suffered by millions, from child bed wetting right through to adult bed wetting.

Not what you wanted, try our options below...

Bedwetting is an embarrassing problem suffered by millions of people all over the globe– from child bedwetting to teenage bedwetting through to adult bedwetting. But seeing that it is not an openly discussed, everyday topic among a lot of people (as it often is surrounded by shame and has a stigma attached to it), sufferers believe they are the only ones enduring the problem.

But this couldn’t be further from the truth according to statistics, which prove that bedwetting is quite a common problem all over the world as painted by this picture – one out of every six five-year-olds; one in every seven seven-year olds; one out of every 11 nine-year-olds and one out of every fifty teens experience bedwetting. It is also believed that 1% of all adults also suffer from the nocturnal enuresis (the medical name for the condition).

Doctors believe that there are several different causes of bedwetting, which include a weak or immature bladder; being a deep sleeper or having a sleep disorder; and physical conditions such as urinary infections or extra production of urine.

Bedwetting is split into two different types – primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) and secondary nocturnal enuresis (SNE). A child who has yet to stay dry over a six month period and gain full control of their bladder while they are asleep suffers from PNE, whereas a person who has been dry for an extended period of time and starts wetting again has SNE.

Although there is no definite cure for this condition, there are practices and bed wetting products that can be put in place to help a sufferer in getting dry, such as bed wetting alarms, medication and behavior training. One of the first steps in stopping wetting is going to see a doctor or urologist to determine if there is a physical condition that is causing the problem and going from there.

Alarms work by going off when moisture is detected on the sensor which is attached to the person’s underwear. The alarm is supposed to teach the brain to sense when the bladder is full and wake the rest of the body up so the person can go to the toilet before the wetting occurs.

Drugs can assist in stopping wetting for a time, with a success rate of up to 50% while they are being used. These are perfect for occasions such as camping and sleepovers, but relapse after the discontinuation of the drug it around 80%.

Behavior training includes techniques such as night-lifting, in which a parent wakes their child a number of times each night to take them to the bathroom to empty their bladder; or alternatively the child is given a large amount of liquid which they have to hold for as long as they can in an attempt to stretch the bladder.

All the things you ever needed to know about nocturnal enuresis are here at The Bedwetting Fact File. Featured on this consumer information site is information on the causes, solutions and products for children, teenagers and adults who suffer from bedwetting.